1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a reinforcing apparatus for a masonry wall with a horizontal reinforcement to be fitted in a bed joint. Such a reinforcing apparatus or reinforcement product is generally known and is manufactured and sold by the applicant N.V. BEKAERT S.A. under the trademark MURFOR.RTM.-reinforcement product. A special embodiment of such a MURFOR.RTM.-element is described in the German patent 2.402.653.
The invention also relates to a masonry wall reinforced with such new reinforcing apparatuses.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Reinforcing is often also called armouring and such reinforcing apparatuses are also known as reinforcing or armouring members.
Although the reinforcement of concrete has been known for a long time, the development of the reinforced masonry wall has dropped far behind with respect to that of reinforced concrete. The causes of this impediment to the development in the masonry-wall construction mainly lie in the ordered stone-mortar structure of the masonry wall, which often obstruct an unrestricted reinforcement adapted to the variation in tensile stress. In the draft of DIN 1053, part 3 published in 1987, a first attempt is made to demonstrate the possibilities of reinforcing a masonry wall. Several possibilities of horizontal reinforcement and vertical reinforcement of masonry walls are described, the vertical reinforcements having a relatively complicated structure. In particular, it is not possible to provide both a horizontal and a vertical reinforcement in a single masonry wall.
If this has to be done, complicated walled-in recesses are required to construct at the same time a vertical and a horizontal reinforcement (DIN 1053, part 3, page 3, FIG. 7).
However, such a reinforcement cannot be effected in normal masonry construction and is limited to special cases. Besides, an even distribution of such a reinforcement over a masonry wall is inconceivable. Furthermore, such a masonry wall is very expensive.